Bucks' Doc Rivers brutally honest on what went wrong on Tyrese Haliburton game-winner
03/12/2025 02:15 AM
Following back-to-back losses at home to the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers last weekend, the Milwaukee Bucks were just three seconds away from getting back into the win column. They led the Indiana Pacers 114-111, on the verge of toppling their rival on the road following a 9-1 run. But Tyrese Haliburton refused to let the crowd in Gainbridge Fieldhouse leave without first experiencing arrhythmia.
The two-time All-Star point guard got an inbound pass from Andrew Nembhard and sunk an unfathomable 3-pointer while drifting out of bounds and getting fouled by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Haliburton knocked down the free throw, and the Greek Freak missed a trey in the closing seconds.
The Bucks fell, 115-114, absorbing possibly their most crushing loss of the season to a team they are currently slated to meet in the first round of the playoffs. Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers opted not to take a timeout even though his squad looked a bit disorganized before the inbound pass, and he explained why after the game.
TYRESE HALIBURTON CLUTCH 4-PT PLAY OPPORTUNITY TO POTENTIALLY WIN THE GAME pic.twitter.com/IEBLa24VFN
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 12, 2025
Bucks HC Doc Rivers shares his thoughts on brutal play
“We’ve seen {the Pacers’ alignment}, we’ve worked on it,” Rivers said, per The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “We just lost him. That’s on us. I told our staff, ‘We gotta have our guys prepared better for that now.’ We were off the bodies. You could see us screaming before the play… We were in trouble before the play started. So, there was no thought (given to taking a timeout) because what if they do score (and then we don’t have a timeout).”
Ultimately, Rivers used his last timeout anyway to argue that Haliburton stepped out of bounds as he shot the ball. Obviously, he was unsuccessful. The championship-winning HC continued to express his confusion over his players’ defensive approach, but he also took accountability for the miscues that enabled the Pacers’ most prolific 3-point shooter to break free and plunge a dagger into the Bucks.
“There was no reason to switch and we just did,” Rivers said. “{Haliburton} was open the whole play and so there was miscommunication there and I always think that’s on me and my staff, not on our guys and we’ll have to figure it out because that’s a play that should never happen.”
Milwaukee better figure it out fast because there are only 18 games left in the regular season.
The roller coaster continues
The deer were running with momentum after winning eight of nine contests, but they have since dropped three straight and are starting to show vulnerability at a pivotal time of the year. While fans know it will be difficult to survive the dominant Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, they expect a healthy Bucks team to beat the Pacers in the playoffs. That remains a question, however.
Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 64.3 percent from the field, pulled down 17 rebounds and recorded seven assists, but he was limited to only 19 points. On a night when Milwaukee and their fans desperately needed it to be Dame Time in Indianapolis, Damian Lillard was 4-of-14 from the floor. Center Brook Lopez put forth a valiant effort, which included 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting with seven boards, but the Pacers were still able to swoop in and steal a W.
Pascal Siakam posted a double-double of 25 points (game-high) and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Beyond Indiana’s stars, its bench absolutely thrived, with Bennedict Mathurin, T.J. McConnell and Thomas Bryant combining for 39 points.
The Bucks (36-28) are currently tied with the Pacers in the standings, as home-court advantage looms large. They can secure the head-to-head tiebreaker when they face them on Saturday in the Fiserv Forum. Doc Rivers must make sure everyone is on the same page before then.
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